Middle ESK Moor

Dear friends,

Welcome to this Saturday’s update, which includes:

- Coming up this week - Weddings in Middle Esk Moor - Want to help with Holy Communion? - Sermon from St James’ Festival: pilgrimage - a message of service. If there’s anything we can help you with please email welcome@middleESKmoor.org and someone will be in touch.

Looking forwards to the week ahead.

With love and blessings,

Reverend Anthony

Coming up this week

Sunday 3 August

9:00 am Traditional Communion in Lealholm at St James'

10:45 am Celtic Communion in Goathland at St Mary's

This will be rather different from our usual Holy Communion in Goathland. There’ll be more modern hymns, accessible texts with a Celtic feel, and more space for us to participate. We’ve been experimenting with this in Glaisdale and it’s been warmly welcomed. Come along an join us - there’ll be refreshments afterwards, including Randall’s renowned and delicious home made cakes!

11:00 am - 3:00 pm Summer Fair and Grand Draw in Grosmont at St Matthew's

Wednesday 7 August

8:30 am Contemplative Communion in Goathland - please contact us for location information

5:00 pm Whitby Deanery Evening Prayer on Zoom and at St Hilda, Egton

Sunday 11 August

9:00 am Traditional Communion in Lealholm at St James'

10:45 am Celtic Communion with Baptism in Glaisdale at St Thomas.

Weddings in Middle Esk Moor It was a delight to host the wedding of Carole and Ashley at St Mary’s in Goathland on Thursday afternoon. Such a wonderful time was had by all! See photo link above.

We need some help… We have weddings coming up on every Saturday in September plus 5 October and 7 December, and we are in need of vergers and bell ringers (for our amazing bells in Goathland and Egton). Training will be given if you can help with either role. Please email welcome@middleESKmoor.org if you can. Many thanks.

Want to help with Holy Communion? If you’re interested in helping to set up Holy Communion on Sunday mornings, distribute the bread and wine in church and/or take Holy Communion to people in their homes, Jackie Newton is running a special training session:

Aislaby Church (St Margaret’s) Saturday 17 August, 10:30 to midday.

If you’re available and would like to go, please email Jackie as soon as possible.

Sermon from St James’ Festival: Pilgrimage - a message of service This is the sermon Reverend Anthony preached last week in Lealholm and Grosmont, and you can download the readings for last Sunday here .

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock, and redeemer. Amen.

It’s wonderful to be here this morning as we celebrate the Festival of St James the Apostle. One thing that’s come out of all our joint working over the last year is a need for us to celebrate the major dedication festivals to help make our churches more visible. So, over the next year we’ll be celebrating all the Festivals for the churches in Middle Esk Moor:

St James – Lealholm – today!

Then, St Thomas – Glaisdale.

St Hilda – Egton.

St Matthew – Grosmont.

St Mary – Goathland.

One of my previous churches was also named after St James, and some members of the congregation there did the Camino de Santiago de Compostela; the Way of St James – that famous pilgrimage. So, thinking about St James makes me think about pilgrimages. Tradition holds that James preached the Gospel in Spain and became the patron saint of pilgrims. And I guess pilgrimages have endings in terms of the obvious place you aim for when you stop walking: that beach on the Spanish coast with all the shells, or Robin Hoods Bay if you’ve just done the Coast-to-Coast walk.

But we have to travel to the start of a long-distance walk, and travel on from the end, don’t we? Our journey through life continues. Any one pilgrimage is a special time; a time where we can be at peace, where we can become closer to the world and the people around us;

- a time when we can open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit;

- a time when we can notice the surprises we find along the journey:

- a special time in our journey with God.

But we have to choose to go on a pilgrimage, don’t we? We must make a conscious decision. I made the choice to come here last year: to be with you for the next few years. Jackie has made the choice to be with us too, to be with us for the next few years. And that’s such a blessing!

All our journeys have intersected here this morning. All our pathways have joined together. And we’re here to celebrate Holy Communion; to remember that we’re all joined and intersected together by and through our Lord Jesus.

In our Gospel reading this morning, the mother of James and John approaches Jesus, asking that her sons are granted positions of honour in the Kingdom, positions of greatness: one at Jesus’ right hand and the other at his left. Jesus responds by emphasising a different kind of greatness to what we might instinctively think: greatness not based on power or authority, but greatness based on service and sacrifice. Jesus declares that even he, the Son of Man, came not to be served but to serve.

St James, also often known as James the Greater, was one of the twelve apostles and the brother of John. He was present during significant moments in Jesus’ ministry, including the Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before Jesus was crucified. But James didn’t seek prominence or privilege. Instead, James followed Jesus faithfully and quietly, even to the point of martyrdom, as we heard about in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

So, how do our readings connect to pilgrimage? Well, maybe we can think of pilgrimage as a ‘journey of service’? Just as Jesus emphasises service over power, pilgrimage invites us to choose to step out of our comfort zone and serve others. Pilgrims often walk long distances, endure physical hardships, and assist fellow travellers along the way. And being a pilgrim is a humbling experience, reminding us of our shared humanity. Along the route, pilgrims encounter diverse landscapes, fellow travellers, and local people, learning to rely on each other, practicing kindness and compassion along the way.

Like James and John, who learned humility and sacrificial love from Jesus, pilgrims seek to grow spiritually and deepen their faith. And each day we make choices, as we move from one season to another on our intersecting pilgrimages. But we always have a choice to follow Jesus, to live a life of service, and follow our callings. And on our pilgrimages, God does not ask us to be perfect, just to be ourselves: walking in spirit and truth: proclaiming a message of service.

The life that James lived, glimpsed through our readings today, challenges us to redefine greatness and prioritise service. James represents this by his faithful journey and his ultimate sacrifice. So, as we continue on our own pilgrimages, whether physical or metaphorical, let’s embrace the path of selflessness, learning from the footsteps of St James and fellow travellers alike.

Let’s pray that we can choose to do that together as a church community, as God beckons us onwards into a season of service to each other.

Amen.”

---

The Reverend Anthony Bennett

middleESKmoor.org Enriching, Sharing, Knowing

Bible passages are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000-2024). material from which is included in this email, are copyright © The Archbishops’ Council.

These two books, edited by Jane Williams, are continuing to be very helpful with planning my sermon writing:

Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK.

Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.

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